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The celesta, an instrument invented in 1896, gets its name for its "celestial," tinkling sound. It provides the distinctive music that accompanies the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. NPR's Bob Edwards discusses the instrument with Morning Edition music commentator Miles Hoffman, and Lambert Orkis of the National Symphony plays some celesta riffs.

Several Democratic-led states are rolling back coronavirus restrictions in the face of public wariness as the omicron surge eases. Federal health officials advise those restrictions are still needed.

African-American voters in Alabama say a Supreme Court decision dilutes their voting power. Republican leaders say race should not be the predominant factor for drawing congressional district lines.

The stuffed animal version of mascot Bing Dwen Dwen has become so sought after that people are camping overnight to buy it in Beijing.

Democrats like Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock are under pressure. President Biden's approval numbers are low, his legislative agenda has stalled, and control of Congress is up for grabs this fall.

The Justice Department's federal civil rights case against the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery began this week. Here's a look at that trial and the civil rights agenda for Department of Justice in 2022.

For two years, artist New York David Shapiro collected his own garbage. Now he's organized every coffee cup, cookie wrapper and ravioli box on aisles of shelves, creating a supermarket of empty containers. The "Consumed" exhibit is opening at Jack The Pelican Gallery in Brooklyn. Hear Shapiro and NPR's Scott Simon.

Subtitles have become more common in mainstream movies as filmmakers incorporate multiple languages and foreign films gain popularity. Translating film dialogue into subtitles is tricky, and as older foreign films are released in new DVD editions, this skill is in high demand. NPR's Susan Stone reports.

Singer Kainani Kahaunaele discusses the title track of her debut CD, called Na'u 'Oe. Kahaunaele wrote the song as part of a Hawaiian language project that incorporated Hawaiian poetry and composition. The song is a tribute to her grandmother, who raised her on the island of Kauai.

A new translation of Leo Tolstoy's Hadji Murad is published. During the 1851 Chechen revolt against the Russians, Murad was a Muslim tribal chieftain. Leo Tolstoy was then a young man in the Russian Army. NPR’s Alan Cheuse has a review.